Joel Embiid can choose not to admit it. But Al Horford arguably is the Philadelphia 76ers big man's kryptonite.
How else to explain the Sixers' 2-10 record against the Boston Celtics in games Embiid and Horford both play? While Philly has risen to prominence in the Eastern Conference over the last two seasons, Boston has remained bafflingly unsolvable: The C's have won 10 of the teams' last 12 meetings overall, including a definitive five-game series win in the 2018 playoffs.
Philly's shortcomings against Boston don't start and end with Embiid. (Remember when Ben Simmons scored one point in Game 2 last year?) But the 25-year-old big man is the Sixers' best player, and Horford's ability to neutralize him has been quite remarkable.
Let's go to the numbers.
Per NBA.com's matchup stats, Horford has been Embiid's primary defender on 142 possessions this season, the most of any NBA player. Embiid has managed just 41 points on those possessions, or 28.9 points per 100 possessions. That's a 9.1-point drop-off from Embiid's season-long average of 38 points per 100 possessions, making Horford the third-most effective NBA defender among players who have guarded Embiid for 100 possessions or more.
Those numbers don't suggest total defensive domination by Horford; indeed, Embiid still averages 22.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his career against the Celtics. But here's the key: The two-time All-Star is a much less efficient scorer with Horford locking him up.
Embiid is shooting 42.5 percent from the floor against Horford this season and is just 3-for-12 from 3-point range, both below his season averages. As a result, Philly's offense suffers: The Sixers average a full 7.3 points fewer per 100 possessions this season when Horford matches up on Embiid.
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That's actually an improvement from last season, when Philly's offense lost a whopping 24.6 points off its points per 100 possessions average when Horford guarded Embiid on defense.
Embiid has refused to give credit to Horford for locking him up, but the statistical (and video) evidence is pretty hard to ignore. And if the Sixers want to exorcise their demons against Boston, it will start with Embiid overcoming his own kryptonite in Horford.
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